V-Access page updated

Posts: 38 · Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 1:19 pm Post subject:

Quote:

My question to you would be, what company out there doesn't use telemarketers?

To me, telemarketing is harassment. Plain and simple. They use computers to "war dial" people and then hang up on them. I have received 32 calls in one day from one local hardware store's telemarketing computer.

Junk mail can be thrown away easily, but I pay for my phone connection, and I want to be able to use it without it being jammed by scammers (which is what all telemarketers are).

Just because Vonage is a young company doesn't give them a reason (in my mind) to harass people. That doesn't increase their profit margin.

When they call me, I cancel my business with them. That is my policy on it.

I even wrote my own caller id server application so I could create complex expressions to filter telemarketers out and cut them off.

The do-not-call list is a step in the right direction, but it should be criminalized. They should be prosecuted. If I called you 32 times a day and hung up on you, you'd be pissed and want to do something about it. So do millions of us victims of telemarketers.

Posts: 1179 · Member of the Week Joined: Feb 28, 2005 Posts: 1179

I agree with you to a certain extent that telemarketers can be harrassing but to equate the two does not necessarily follow.

In my instance with Vonage, after their initial call, I told them not to call my number again and indeed they have held true to their word and have not called since.

I do not classify my interchange as harrassment. Perhaps, you have had more intense exchanges with telemarketers but I have not had one in the last 3 yrs since the do not call list came out.

Also, do note that Vonage got (I am not 100% sure of this) my work number b/c I used v-access to call my home. I can say that this is most likely the case since I received that one telemarking call from Vonage a couple of days after using my work phone to call home via v-access. Prior to that, I had never called my home from my work phone.

If you have a complicated barrier to break through to prevent telemarketers, then I do not see why this is an issue for you.

The Vonage call was clearly identified as coming from Vonage so that should not be a problem. Plus have you used vaccess yet? If not, then I don't think this even applies to you.

Posts: 1327 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: Nov 08, 2006 Posts: 1327

Since switching to Vonage (Nov. 2006) I have yet to receive a telemarketer call. I have had a few wrong numbers, but that is understandable.

Maybe since my number isn't listed in the phone book or online I don't get bombarded.

Posts: 1179 · Member of the Week Joined: Feb 28, 2005 Posts: 1179

Please, you are not reading my post correctly.

I received 1 telemarketer's call from Vonage themselves and they also clearly identified themselves in the caller id as Vonage after using v-access with that phone. Not after switching to Vonage.

Posts: 38 · Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 1:37 pm Post subject:

Just to clarify to previous posters,

You can't tell someone to stop calling you when there is no one on the other end to talk to, just a computer.

They use an automated system to dial dozens of phone numbers simultaneously, connect the first one who answers, then hang up on all the rest of the "suckers".

So, for each telemarketing call, they are deliberately calling and hanging up on xx subscribers. (where xx varies by telemarketer).

Deliberately calling a person and hanging up on them is harassment no matter how you cut it.

If you are not getting hammered by them, that's great!
BTW: I am not being hammered by telemarketers since the DNC list, that cut them down to just a few per day.

Posts: 1179 · Member of the Week Joined: Feb 28, 2005 Posts: 1179

Basildane,

I'm sorry to hear about these phantom calls. I have not been the recipient of these kinds of calls and I definitely agree with you that I would classify them as harrassment as well. I would actually call the local police and report it.

I was talking about an actual person calling you trying to get you to sign up with Vonage which was my case and it appears to me that we are not talking about the same kind of telemarketer.

Posts: 38 · Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 1:59 pm Post subject:

This will give you just a tiny taste of what people go through.

Who called us

P.S. These people never called me, just an example. Read the comments.

Posts: 143 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Dec 22, 2005 Posts: 143

I hate tele-markerters as much as the next person, but they have to make a living.